jdowning - 3-9-2007 at 03:21 PM
On the subject of lutherie tools, I first heard mention of this when reading Jameel's excellent summary "Oud Construction Journal" ( see his Website
'Kalaf Oud Lutherie) - thanks Jameel.
Hide glue gels fairly quickly so when used for complicated, exacting, time consuming joints (such as gluing the soundboard to the body of an oud, lute
or guitar, it is often necessary to be able to remelt the glue to complete the work satisfactorily. The remelting may be done with a hot knife or
spatula inserted into the joint and/or application of a hot iron.
In the past - for a hot iron - I have simply used an old electric flat iron (be warned - do not use your wife's best iron for this work!!). A standard
electric flat iron works well but is a bit clumsy to handle.
This 'new' tool is essentially a temperature controlled miniature electric flat iron with a handle. It is designed to apply plastic film and decals
for model aircraft builders but seems to be perfect for instrument work hide gluing applications.
This morning, I picked up - from a local 'Hobby Shop' - a "Custom Sealing Iron" made by 'Hobbico' retailing for about $15 US (there are similar units
by other manufacturers on the market). Testing the unit with an oven thermometer, I found that it can be thermostatically controlled over the
temperature range 50 - 150 C (or around 100 to 300 F). I have not tried the tool out yet but it seems to be well made and good value. I am sure that
it will do the job. It comes with a 1 year guarantee. Of course, this is just a modern convenience to replace the "inconvenience" of a traditional
small hot iron (easily home made) heated on the stove.
What are your experiences with this tool Jameel?
Jameel - 3-10-2007 at 06:28 AM
I paid about $25 for mine. The funny part is that lutherie stores like lmii sell this thing for like $75! The wires inside mine came unsoldered once,
and I was able to resolder them, but then it happened again and I couldnt savlage anymore length. It's still a good buy and lasted me through several
instruments.